


To Freedom and A New Life

by JediIlonaShepard



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Domestic Violence, Faking Death, Freedom, Gen, Running Away, Solana Beach, Swimming, red sand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 17:33:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5136557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediIlonaShepard/pseuds/JediIlonaShepard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young James Vega (fomerly James Sanders) makes his escape from his drug addict father Joshua Sanders.<br/>Thus faking his own death in San Diego to become an Alliance marine..</p><p> <sub>© BioWare & Electronic Art/Microsoft</sub></p>
            </blockquote>





	To Freedom and A New Life

_**Saturday, September 14th 2176, 3:03 am** _

Just having prepared to leave this life of unwanted abuse and the hell-hole that is called home behind him, James Sanders has  
finished with the datapad saying that he's going swimming at the beach and will be back soon.

To be honest.... He won't be coming back at all...

Truth is since his mother, Isabella died, things were bad and has gotten worse when his father, Joshua Sanders became addicted to red sand.

There were times that Joshua would hit James and try to keep his uncle, Emilio Vega away from James, Also accusing him of trying to turn James against him like he did Isabella. 

 

There were so many times that James thought about running away from home, and just simply leave his good-for-nothing, red sand addict father.

And just travel to where he always wanted to go and start a new life, San Francisco.

But at the same time, he worried that if he were to run away, Joshua would end up blaming Emilio, for him leaving without a trace.

 

However Uncle Emilio whom James always had as a father-figure had other plans for him when he encouraged him to enlist as a Marine for the Systems Alliance,knowing it would be better then just running away from home and having to live on the streets.

Then Joshua tricked his son picking up the red sand from a drug dealer, thus making sure he won't be accepted by the Alliance.

 

But Emilio assured James that Joshua won't dare talk to the military about drug deal in San Diego that night, Aware he would be arrested and be put on trial for having a minor purchase the illegal goods.

 

A day earlier after school, James went to the Solana Beach Library and searched on the extranet for ways to leave Solana Beach without Joshua's knowledge of where he's going.

And also to keep his father from finding out that Emilio informed him that he wouldn't dare tell the authorities about the drug deal in San Diego.

It would better this way because he didn't want his uncle would be badly injured. 

 

Or perhaps worse....... 

 

He found the answer when he came across the old news article about a man disappearing while swimming at the beach in Florida and was never found.

There is no doubt the James could do the same.

 

James took out something from inside his pillow and it was necklace that belonged to his late mother.

It was a real turquoise in shape of a teardrop in it's silver setting, and it has a long silver chain.

 _'This is all I have left of her.......'_ James thought putting it around his neck, and tucking it underneath his shirt.

The young man always hid the necklace from Joshua for many years, and he was concerned that he would just pawn it off for money to buy red sand. 

He would never let that sort of thing happen so long he would have what's left of his mother....

 

James laid the pillow back on the headboard. then left the datapad laying on his neatly made bed.

 

Then he started having thoughts about friends' reaction believing that he was lost at sea, He even thought about his and classmates, and his uncle.

 

 _'I'm truly sorry to have everyone think I'm dead,'_ He thought sadly. _'But It's best that I do because it's the only way that I could leave without Uncle Emilio or anyone else getting hurt.'_

 

Clad only in his dark blue swim shorts and grey t-shirt, James walked barefoot through his bedroom door quietly with a towel draped across his shoulder.

The young man made sure that Joshua is not laying on the couch in the living room, waiting to beat the life out of him, and quietly let out a sigh of relief knowing that his father would be in his own bedroom, snoring away as as usual.

 

 _'Thank god for that!'_ James thought to himself. _'I have no attention of being smacked around ever again by the drug addicted bastard I had lived with for five years.'_

 

Most of all, Joshua won't know that Emilio coaxed him into choosing how to live his own life.

 

This time, Joshua will have to learn to deal with his loneliness and no one to help him and no one to pick up his red sand. 

And of course, No one to blame for his problems, but himself...

 

James silently walked out the front door and to the beach.

_________________________________________________________________

 

It was still dark, but there were city lights all around the shorelines of Solana Beach.

James took off his shirt and draped it on the staircase railing along with the towel and approached the crashing waves of the beach near his house, knowingly leaving tracks in the sand.

He then stuck his toes in the water He immediately pull them out.

 

"Damn!" James whispered, shivering for a bit. "The water is so fuckin' cold."

 

He wasn't overly fond of the idea of swimming in the cold dark water, even at night. But there was a matter of time before Joshua would wake up and find James missing from his room.

 

_'Come on James, Stop fooling around like an idiot..... You know Uncle Emilio would want you to live your life better.'_

 

The young man knew he would have to take the chance doing so if he was going to make an escape from his abusive father and determined to make his own disappearance at the beach real.

So he waded into the water, overcoming the strength of the powerful waves that threaten to knock him over.

He continued so until he was Surrounded up to his shoulders by water and his feet right above the sand.

James looked back at his former home to make sure that Joshua wasn't there to stop him from making his swim to freedom.

Then he began swimming freestyle, And thank god he was taught by his mother how to swim at a young age.

He swam almost 286 yards far from his house, and started swimming towards the dock that was far down the left. 

The water itself was so cold and dark, but he kept right on swimming and would have to keep going until he reached the dock.

Making it to shore near Fletcher Cove. James waded out of the water, catching his breath.

Under the dock, he had a new duffel bag full of new clothing, a towel, shoes, and hat he purchased a the day before, well hidden hours ago.

James quickly dried himself off with the towel, brushed the sand off his feet changed out of his swim shorts and into the clothing. He even put his socks and shoes on, then he put on a cap.

After finishing getting dressed, The young man stuffed the rest of his belongings into his new duffle bag and took off though Fletcher Cove Beach Park and on to quiet street, avoiding being spotted while sticking to the shadows.

 

James finally reached the nearest train station in Solana Beach where he bought a ticket and boarded a bullet train to the Systems Alliance Marine Base in San Francisco. 

Riding in the passenger car, James looked out the window he sat next to, watching as the sun was rising from the East while thinking about the needless hell that his father has put him through for many years.

And thank god that one he went through two days ago would be the last time....

But the despite the hell-hole he was forced to live in, he always was kept on the right path, never doing drugs, drinking, or getting in any kind trouble.

And it was thanks to his Uncle Emilo who he will miss so much.

James still had his mother's necklace around his neck.

He held the pendent gently between his fingers and closed his eyes remembering everything his uncle told him two days before leaving San Diego.....

Before his mother passed away, Emilo promised her that he would look after him and to make sure he grows up well.

He kept that promise.

And said that only James could choose how to live his life.

James himself would come visit Emilo in Escondido and will explain everything to him of what he did to leave San Diego safely and be accepted by the Alliance to become a Marine.

 

Until then, He might as well relax and have a safe journey all the way to freedom and a new life.

 

End


End file.
